Bicistronic AAV vector for RNA interference in ALS

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a bicistronic expression vector for silencing a gene specifically in astrocytes and neurons, comprising two expression cassettes comprising a first and a second silencer sequence, respectively, wherein the expression of said first silencer sequence within astrocytes is regulated by an astrocyte-specific promoter and the expression of said second silencer sequence within neurons is regulated by a neuron-specific promoter. In a preferred embodiment, said first and second silencer sequences are SOD1 silencer sequences. Pharmaceutical composition comprising said bicistronic vector and the use of the same in the treatment of motoneuron diseases are further described.

This is a national stage application filed under 35 U.S.C. § 371 ofinternational application PCT/EP2016/067549, filed under the authorityof the Patent Cooperation Treaty on Jul. 22, 2016, published; whichclaims the benefit of EP Application No. 15177828.9 filed on Jul. 22,2015. The entire disclosures of all the aforementioned applications areexpressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The present invention relates to a bicistronic expression vector forsilencing a gene specifically in astrocytes and neurons, comprising twoexpression cassettes comprising a first and a second silencer sequence,respectively, wherein the expression of said first silencer sequencewithin astrocytes is regulated by an astrocyte-specific promoter and theexpression of said second silencer sequence within neurons is regulatedby a neuron-specific promoter. In a preferred embodiment, said first andsecond silencer sequences are SOD1 silencer sequences.

Pharmaceutical composition comprising said bicistronic vector and theuse of the same in the treatment of motoneuron diseases are furtherdescribed.

BACKGROUND

Motoneuron diseases are a group of progressive neurological disordersthat destroy motoneuron, the cells that control essential voluntarymuscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing.Normally, messages from nerve cells in the brain (called uppermotoneuron) are transmitted to nerve cells in the brain stem and spinalcord (called lower motoneuron) and from them to particular muscles. Whenthere are disruptions in the signals between the lowest motoneuron andthe muscle, the muscles do not work properly; the muscles graduallyweaken and may begin wasting away and develop uncontrollable twitching.When there are disruptions in the signals between the upper motoneuronsand the lower motoneuron, the limb muscles develop stiffness (calledspasticity), movements become slow and effortful, and tendon reflexessuch as knee and ankle jerks become overactive. Over time, the abilityto control voluntary movement can be lost.

In adults, the most common motoneuron disease is amyotrophic lateralsclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. So far, the soleapproved drug, Riluzole, delays the course of the disease by only a fewmonths.

In Europe and North America, the incidence of ALS is about 2 cases peryear per 100,000, while prevalence is around 5 cases per 100,000 withapproximately 7,000 cases diagnosed annually in the US. Incidenceincreases with age, especially after 40, to reach a peak in the mid70's. While age is a leading risk factor, genetics is also important,with about 1 in 10 cases of ALS being familial (FALS). Mutations in thesuperoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene account for 20% of familial forms ofthe disease. Genetic analyses of sporadic ALS cases (SALS) havedemonstrated significant associations between SALS and a range of loci.Mutations in loci more typically associated with FALS (SOD1 and others)have also been detected in SALS cases.

Several mouse and rat models expressing mutant forms of SOD1 exist.Transgenic mouse models expressing the human SOD1 gene harboring a G93A,G37R, or G85R mutation develop a phenotype similar to what is observedin human ALS patients; the transgenic SOD1 mouse is considered the mostaccurate representation of the disease process.

Mutant SOD1 exerts multiple pathogenic effects through the gain of toxicproperties in both neurons and glial cells. Indeed, in vitroexperiments, based on motoneuron-glia co-culture systems, as well asinvestigations performed in mutant SOD1 mice have revealed non-cellautonomous disease processes (Lasiene and Yamanaka, 2011). While theexpression of mutant SOD1 in motoneurons mainly determines diseaseonset, SOD1 pathology in non-neuronal cell types plays a key role indisease progression. In particular, removal of mutant SOD1 inastrocytes, or spinal cord enrichment in wild-type (WT) astrocytes,prolongs the survival of mutant SOD1 animals by slowing down late-stagedisease progression (Lepore, Rauck et al., 2008; Yamanaka, Chun et al.,2008; Boucherie, Schafer et al., 2009; Wang, Gutmann et al., 2011).Further supporting the gain of toxic activities by mutated SOD1, SOD1null mice do not show signs of motoneuron degeneration (Reaume, Elliottet al., 1996; Ho, Gargano et al., 1998).

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are promising vectors for in vivo genedelivery. A number of naturally occurring serotypes and subtypes havebeen isolated from human and non-human primate tissues; some of them areof interest, given their capability to transduce various organsincluding central nervous system with high efficiency.

Recently, a major therapeutic breakthrough has been achieved using asingle intravenous injection of AAV of serotype 9 (AAV9) encoding smallhairpin RNA (shRNA) against human SOD1 (Foust, Salazar et al., 2013).When administrated at birth, AAV9 infects approximately 60% ofmotoneurons and 30% of astrocytes which, in the case of shRNA targetingSOD1 mRNA, translates into delayed disease onset, improved motorperformances and around 40% extension in the survival of treated mice.When injected into adult mice, AAV9 combined with the cba promoter leadsto a pattern of transgene expression that is higher in astrocytes(around 50%) than in motoneurons (8%). It is however possible that theexpression of the shRNA, which is in the same vector but under controlof the H1 pol-III promoter, has a different pattern in these animals.Interestingly AAV9-shRNA remains therapeutic when delivered afterdisease onset and prolongs the survival of SOD1 mice, albeit to a lesserextent than early treatments.

A second study used recombinant AAV rhesus-10 (rAAVrh10) to deliverartificial micro RNA (miRNA) designed to suppress SOD1 (miR SOD1)expression. The miR SOD1 transcription was under the control of theconstitutively active cba promoter. Following intrathecal administrationto adult ALS mice, this vector led to a predominance of transgeneexpression in astrocytes, which slowed down disease progression (Wang,Yang et al., 2014).

In the study of Dirren, Aebischer et al., 2015 two separate vectors havebeen used to target either astrocytes or motoneurons. The two vectorsystems were designed to suppress SOD1 expression predominantly inspinal motoneurons using the AAV6 capsid in combination with theconstitutively active cmv promoter, or in astrocytes, using AAV9 withthe astrocyte-specific gfaABC₁D promoter. In adult mice, AAV9 serotypewith the cmv-driven cassette has been used, as AAV9 appeared to be moreefficient than AAV6 to target motoneurons.

Following vector administration to both newborn and adult ALS mice, mostcomplete protection of motor units was obtained when targeting humanSOD1 principally in motoneurons. Remarkably, suppressing SOD1 inastrocytes also showed neuroprotective effects, which were clearlydifferent from those observed with the motoneuron-targeting vector.Although only partial protection of spinal motoneurons has been observedwhen suppressing SOD1 in astrocytes, muscle innervation was nearlycompletely preserved, indicating a possible effect on the ability of theremaining motoneurons to re-innervate the muscle. Indeed, the recoveryof the neuromuscular function was similar to the condition where SOD1was silenced in motoneurons. With each of these vectors, gene therapysignificantly prolonged survival of ALS mice when administered tonewborn mice. Therefore, while SOD1 silencing in motoneurons is mosteffective at protecting these cells in the ALS mouse model, targetingSOD1 in astrocytes is required to restore neuromuscular function.However, a major drawback of the tested approach has to be found in theuse of two vectors to address two different cellular types. The combinedinjection of two viral vectors entails several problems, among these:

-   -   i) the viral load i.e. obtaining the optimum viral load for two        vectors as to obtain therapeutic efficacy, hits the limit of        physical property, concerning the maximal dose tolerated by the        organism;    -   ii) the volume restrictions relating to injection and delivery        methods.

The above-indicated problems cannot be overcome simply by multiple,independent injections, given that it is known that multiple injectionsincrease the risk for an immune system reaction.

There is a strong need for an approach suitable for a clinical settingand capable to address mutant SOD1 both in motoneurons and astrocytes inorder to achieve therapeutic efficacy in motoneuron diseases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bicistronic expression vector forsilencing a gene specifically in astrocytes and neurons, comprising twoexpression cassettes comprising a first silencer sequence and a secondsilencer sequence, respectively, wherein the expression of said firstsilencer sequence within astrocytes is regulated by anastrocyte-specific promoter and the expression of said second silencersequence within neurons is regulated by a neuron-specific promoter. In apreferred embodiment, said first and second silencer sequences are SOD1silencer sequences.

Pharmaceutical composition comprising said bicistronic vector and theuse of the same in the treatment of motoneuron diseases are furtherdescribed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: cartoon diagram of vectors used in the present invention. A),B), C) comparative examples. D) an embodiment of the bicistronic vectorof the present invention.

FIG. 2: SEQ ID NO.2 showing SOD1 silencer sequence (miR SOD1), miRNAstem-loops, with the guide strand shown in grey.

FIG. 3: compound muscle action potential measured in triceps suraemuscles during time after infection of the mice. Study on thetherapeutic efficiency, comparing the bicistronic vector of the presentinvention to an astrocyte-specific vector (GFAP promoter, panel A) andneuron-specific vectors (cmv and hsyn1 promoters, panel B).

FIG. 4: the swimming performance of the mice is evaluated over timeafter intrathecal injection of the different vectors. Study on motorability comparing the therapeutic efficiency of the bicistronic vectorof the present invention to an astrocyte-specific vector (GFAP promoter,panel A) or neuron-specific vectors (cmv and hysn1 promoters, panel B).

FIG. 5: Motoneuron counts per lumbar spinal cord section. Motoneuronnumbers are significantly increased for the bicistronic group (whitecolumn) when compared to transgenic control animals.

FIG. 6: Neuromuscular junction integrity expressed as percentage ofbungarotoxin-positive motor end plates that are occupied by aSV2-positive motoneuron terminal. Innervation is fully preserved in thebicistronic group (white column), which is significantly different fromthe partial preservation in the other treated groups.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention describes a bicistronic expression vector,allowing continuous expression of a first and a second silencer sequencespecifically in motoneurons and astrocytes.

The bicistronic expression vector of the present invention comprises afirst expression cassette comprising a first nucleotide sequenceencoding a first silencer sequence operably linked to a promoterfunctional in astrocytes and a second expression cassette comprising asecond nucleotide sequence encoding a second silencer sequence operablylinked to a promoter functional in neurons.

Said bicistronic vector, in a preferred embodiment, comprises, in bothsaid first and second cassettes, a posttranscriptional regulatoryelement upstream of said sequences encoding said silencer sequences anda polyA tail downstream from the same.

In a preferred embodiment, said first and second silencer sequences areSOD1 silencer sequences.

In a further preferred embodiment, said vector is an AAV vector and theregulatory sequences are selected so that the total size of the vectoris below 5 kb, which is compatible with packaging within the AAV capsid.Said AAV vector is of any serotype compatible with widespread transgenedelivery to astrocytes and motoneurons; preferably, said AAV vector isof serotype 9 or of serotype 6.

In a preferred embodiment, the astrocyte specific promoter is selectedfrom the group comprising the GFAP promoter, the glutamine synthasepromoter, preferably is the minimal GFAP promoter gfaABC₁D; the neuronspecific promoter is selected from the group comprising synapsin, cmv,platelet-derived growth factor B-chain (PDGF-β), the methyl-CpG bindingprotein 2 (MeCP2), preferably it is the human synapsin I promoter hSyn1.

The above indicated mammalian promoters are compatible with long-termtransgene expression and they are known to restrict the expression ofthe controlled gene to subsets of cells of interest in the CNS.

Said SOD1 silencer sequence is selected from the group comprising RNAsequences that can be transcribed from naturally occurring or artificialDNA to interfere with SOD1 expression, including small hairpin RNA(shRNA) against SOD1, micro RNA (miRNA) against SOD1, antisense RNAsequences against SOD1, or guide RNA sequences for CRISPR/Cas9 targetingof the SOD1 gene. In a preferred embodiment, the SOD1 silencer is amiRNA targeting SOD1 mRNA, preferably targeting the nt 209-229 (SEQ IDNo. 1) (miR SOD1) of the coding sequence of human SOD1. For the purposeof the present invention, miR SOD1 is related to a miRNA targeting SOD1,where said SOD1 targeting sequence is referred to the nt 209-229 of thecoding sequence of human SOD1 (SEQ ID No. 1).

In a further preferred embodiment, said miRNA sequence comprises a 6 or7 nucleotides-long “seed” sequence which is fully homologous to thehuman SOD1 mRNA transcript (NM_000454).

In a further preferred embodiment miRNA mature sequence has at least50%, 60%, 80%, 90% sequence homology, wherein for the scope of thepresent invention sequence homology is referred to sequence identity,with the corresponding coding sequence set forth in SEQ ID No. 1: 5′-ATTACT TTC CTT CTG CTC GAA-3′ (SEQ ID. No. 1). More preferably, said miRNAmature sequence corresponds to the coding sequence: 5′-ATT ACT TTC CTTCTG CTC GAA-3′ (SEQ ID No. 1).

In a preferred embodiment, said mature miRNA is carried by the pre-miRNAbackbone of murine miR-155. The corresponding DNA sequence wassynthesized and subcloned into a pAAV shuttle plasmid according tostandard procedures.

The inclusion of posttranscriptional regulatory element in theexpression cassette, said regulatory element being, as an example, anintron or a Woodchuck hepatitis Posttrascriptional Regulatory Element(WPRE), results in a significantly increased expression of the SOD1silencer sequence encoded by the said vector. Said intron is preferablyselected from the group comprising MVM (minute virus of mice), F.IXtruncated intron 1 (human factor IX), β-globin splice donorSD/immunoglobin heavy chain splice acceptor SA, adenovirusSD/immunoglobin SA. However, other natural or artificial introns knownto the person skilled in the art can be used. Alternatively, aposttranscriptional enhancer element such as the WPRE can be used.

Compared to other SOD1 silencing systems used so far in the field ofALS, this bicistronic expression vector surprisingly compiles thefollowing advantages that are relevant to therapeutic application:

-   -   the use of cell-type specific promoters helps limiting        expression of the SOD1 silencer sequence to neurons and        astrocytes. This minimizes chances of deleterious effects due to        off-target silencing of SOD1 or activation of the miRNA pathways        in other non-therapeutically relevant cell types. This is        particularly true given that SOD1 is a ubiquitous enzyme. Only        one allele is mutated in familial ALS. It is unclear whether        SOD1 activity produced by the normal allele is critical to the        function and survival of certain cell types. Therefore, it is        preferred to limit SOD1 silencing to diseased cells, such as        motoneurons and astrocytes, in order to limit the risk of        unwanted side effects.    -   the here obtained successful incorporation of two expression        cassettes into a single vector allows to express SOD1 silencer        sequence simultaneously and specifically in motoneurons and        astrocytes following a single injection of a viral vector that        has a tropism for the two cell types, thus avoiding the        limitations of using vector cocktails. These limitations include        decrease in transduction efficiency due to the lower injectable        dose of each individual vector, as well as the need to develop        two separate therapeutic products to be ultimately combined.        Also in regulatory terms, this solution brings a considerable        advantage: in the event that two separate vectors are used, two        procedures are required to get the regulatory approval for both        of them. In this case, the burden of a single procedure has to        be afforded.

Compared to vectors with single expression cassettes, the here claimedbicistronic expression vector drastically improves the therapeuticbenefits obtained by gene therapy aiming at silencing SOD1 in ALSpatients.

The here claimed bicistronic expression vector allows to target twodifferent cell types by administration of a single vector, where thecombined injection of two viral vectors would not only be a problemconcerning the maximal vector dose tolerated by the organism but wouldalso significantly raise the regulatory hurdles towards clinicalapplication.

Moreover, as it will become evident from the examples that follow, amaximization of the therapeutic efficiency is obtained. Sincemotoneurons and astrocytes play distinctive roles in the pathology andSOD1 silencing in each of these cell types has complementary effects,targeting both motoneurons and astrocytes is a critical factor.

It is also claimed a bicistronic expression vector according to thepresent invention for use in the treatment of ALS.

It is further described a pharmaceutical composition, comprising abicistronic AAV vector comprising two expression cassettes eachcomprising a first and a second silencer sequence, wherein theexpression of said first silencer sequence within astrocytes isregulated by an astrocyte-specific promoter and the expression of saidsecond silencer sequence within neurons is regulated by aneuron-specific promoter and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier foruse in the treatment of motoneuron disease, preferably of ALS.

In a preferred embodiment, in said pharmaceutical composition said firstand second silencer sequences are SOD1 silencer sequences.

It is further described a method of treatment of a subject in needthereof, said method comprising administering to a subject in needthereof the described vector in a range comprised between 1E12-5E14Vector Genomes VG/kg body weight.

Said administration, in a preferred embodiment, is via the cerebrospinalfluid. More preferably, it is Intrathecal (IT), Intracisternal (IC) orIntraventricular (ICV). In a further preferred embodiment, saidadministration is Intravenous (IV). The recombinant virions arepreferably introduced to the subject in combination with an adjunctivepharmacological therapy.

Example 1

SOD1^(G93A) ALS mice, carrying a transgene which is the mutant humanSOD1 containing the Gly⁹³-->Ala (G93A) substitution, are used in theexperimental setting. SOD1^(G93A) ALS mice are widely used as a modelfor ALS and their limbs become progressively paralyzed beginning aroundsix to seven months of age. Life expectancy is normally four to sixweeks beyond onset of symptoms. SOD1^(G93A) ALS mice have a highlypredictable course of denervation that takes place in two successiveepisodes. There is an initial pruning of fast-twitch fatigable (FF)motoneurons, resulting in the denervation of type IIb muscle fibers.Vacant neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) are then partially re-innervated bythe sprouting of fast-twitch fatigue-resistant (FR) and slow-twitchfatigue-resistant (S) motoneurons until FR motoneurons also startpruning their intramuscular nerve branches leading to a sustained lossof NMJ (Pun, Santos et al., 2006; Kanning, Kaplan et al., 2010).SOD1^(G93A) ALS mice were injected intrathecally at the age of 4.5 weekswith 2.1E+12 VG of either one of the following AAV9 viral vectors:

-   -   A) AAV9-cmv-RFP-miR SOD1 (control, to silence SOD1 in        motoneurons)    -   B) AAV9-hsyn1-RFP-miR SOD1 (control, to silence SOD1 in        motoneurons)    -   C) AAV9-gfaABC₁D-GFP-miR SOD1 (control, to silence SOD1 in        astrocytes)    -   D) AAV9-bicistronic miR SOD1 (vector of the present invention,        to silence SOD1 in motoneurons and astrocytes).

In FIG. 1 a schematic representation of the above-indicated vectors isreported. In this experimental setting, the SOD1 silencer sequence wasengineered based on the murine miRNA-155 flanking sequences. Its guidingstrand targets the nt 209-229 of the coding sequence of human SOD1 (FIG.2). miR SOD1 is an engineered miRNA based on the flanking sequences andloop from the murine miRNA-155 sequence (represented in black in FIG.2). It has been designed for the specific silencing of human SOD1. TheSOD1 targeting sequence (bold font) is composed of a guide strand (ingrey) that binds to SOD1 mRNA and contains a 7-nucleotide-long seedsequence (in italic and underlined), and the partially complementarypassenger strand. Said guide strand gives rise to a miR SOD1 maturesequence, which correspond to the coding sequence SEQ ID No. 1.

To evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of these viral vectors, the fourgroups of mice (7 animals per group except for bicistronic vector group,which had 8 animals) were compared to PBS-injected wild-type andSOD1^(G93A) ALS control animals (16 and 19 animals per group,respectively). In each group, males and females were equallydistributed. Littermates were split among groups.

Electromyography (EMG) was performed on a weekly basis on the tricepssurae muscles to assess neuromuscular function. EMG consists inelectrically stimulating the motoneurons of the spinal cord andrecording the muscular response, called Compound Muscle Action Potential(CMAP). EMG is one of the most reliable tests to predict clinicaldisease onset and disease progression in ALS mice (Mancuso, Osta et al.,2014) and ALS patients (Simon, Lomen-Hoerth et al., 2014).

Results are reported in the graph of FIG. 3.

In PBS-injected SOD1^(G93A) mice, CMAP amplitude declined betweenpostnatal days 50 and 60, and the amplitude then stabilized at around40% of the starting value. At 12 weeks of age, the CMAP measurements ofSOD1^(G93A) control mice (33.4±10.2 mV) did not statistically differfrom mice injected with AAV9 vectors silencing SOD1 in eithermotoneurons or astrocytes. There was, however, a trend towards improvedmuscle response in treated animals (AAV9-cmv-RFP-miR SOD1, 46.8±16.2 mV;AAV9-hsyn-RFP-miR SOD1, 44.7±13.4 mV; gfaABC₁D-GFP-miR SOD1, 50.8±14.3mV).

Remarkably, a significant difference was already observed at 8 weeksbetween the AAV9-bicistronic group and control ALS mice (p<0.05). At 12weeks of age the difference between the two groups was even morepronounced (p<0.001). Indeed, at this time point the CMAP values ofanimals injected with the bicistronic expression vector (75.6±13.4 mV)did not statistically differ from the values obtained for wild-typecontrol mice (84.8±18.3 mV).

By further evaluating the CMAP at 20 weeks of age, where the symptomsare evident in the used animal model, the values obtained in the animalsinjected with the bicistronic expression vector are unchanged withrespect to the value obtained at 12 weeks of age (76.5±7.2 mV), whilethe values further decreased in PBS injected SOD1 mice (17.5±1.4 mV),which is consistent with the second wave of denervation typicallyobserved in the SOD1^(G93A) mice at this age (FIG. 3). Overall, asignificant difference was observed between the group injected with thebicistronic vector and the group injected with the vector containing theastrocyte-specific GFAP-promoter (p<0.001). Significant difference wasas well observed between the bicistronic vector group and the groupsinjected with the vectors containing the promoters for preferentialexpression in neurons (for cmv and hsyn1, p<0.001) (FIG. 3, panel B).This surprising result confirms the validity of the here proposedapproach.

This is further confirmed when assessing motor performance of the mice,by measuring the time taken by the animals to swim to a 1 m distantplatform. Results are represented in FIG. 4. Overall, a significancedifference in swimming performance was observed between the groupinjected with the bicistronic vector and the group injected with thevector containing the astrocyte-specific GFAP promoter (p<0.05). Asignificant difference was as well observed between the bicistronicvector group and the group injected with vectors containing thepromoters for preferential expression in neurons (for cmv p<0.01 and forhysn1 p<0.05), while almost no significative difference was observedbetween the motor performances of the bicistronic group and the group ofthe wild-type control animals.

These results clearly demonstrate the superior therapeutic potential ofthe here claimed bicistronic expression vector when compared toexpression vectors carrying a single expression cassette that expressesthe miR SOD1 in motoneurons or astrocytes only.

The FIGS. 5 and 6 confirm at a histological level that silencing SOD1 inboth neurons and astrocytes using the bicistronic vector has a greatertherapeutic outcome than SOD1 silencing in only one of the two celltypes. Spinal cord sections were obtained from treated animals at endstage. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive motoneurons werecounted in the lumbar region of the spinal cord. Indeed, at the level ofmotoneuron survival (FIG. 5) the bicistronic vector shows astatistically significant increase in motoneuron survival when comparedto vectors expressing miR SOD1 under the control of either the GFAP orthe hsyn promoter alone.

Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) integrity (FIG. 6) has then been assessed.NMJ occupancy was evaluated on 20 μm muscle sections stained with ananti-SV-2 (Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, University of Iowa,Iowa City, Iowa) or VAChT antibody and tetramethylrhodamineα-bungarotoxin (Invitrogen). About 100 bungarotoxin-positive motor endplates were identified and checked for overlapping SV-2 orVAChT-positive motoneuron terminal using an Olympus AX70 microscope orLeica DM5500 microscope. The bicistronic vector (white column) shows ahigher percentage of bungarotoxin-positive motor end plates that areoccupied by a SV2-positive motoneuron terminal when compared to thevector with the vectors expressing miR SOD1 under the control of eitherthe GFAP or the hsyn promoter alone.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A bicistronic expression vector forsilencing a gene in astrocytes and neurons comprising two expressioncassettes, wherein a first cassette comprises “astrocyte specificpromoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-the first silencersequence-polyA tail” and a second cassette comprises “neuron specificpromoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-the second silencersequence-polyA tail”; wherein, when injected into a subject, thebicistronic expression vector is able to target both the astrocytes andneurons brain cell populations with one injection.
 2. The bicistronicvector according to claim 1, wherein said first and second silencersequences are both SOD1 silencer sequences.
 3. The bicistronic vectoraccording to claim 2, wherein said SOD1 silencer sequences areindependently selected from the group comprising RNA sequences that canbe transcribed from DNA to interfere with SOD1 expression, includingsmall hairpin RNA (shRNA) against SOD1, micro RNA (miRNA) against SOD1,antisense RNA sequences against SOD1 and guide RNA sequences forCRISPR/Cas9 mediated targeting of the SOD1 gene.
 4. The bicistronicvector according to claim 1, wherein said first and second silencersequences are both a miRNA designed to suppress SOD1 expression (miRSOD1).
 5. A bicistronic expression vector for silencing a gene inastrocytes and neurons comprising two expression cassettes, wherein afirst cassette comprises “astrocyte specificpromoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-the first silencersequence-polyA tail” and a second cassette comprises “neuron specificpromoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-the second silencersequence-polyA tail”; wherein said first and second silencer sequencesare both a miRNA designed to suppress SOD1 expression (miR SOD1); and,wherein said miR SOD1 targets the coding sequence of human SOD1 (NM000454), nt 209-229 (miR SOD1) (SEQ ID No. 2).
 6. A bicistronicexpression vector for silencing a gene in astrocytes and neuronscomprising two expression cassettes, wherein a first cassette comprises“astrocyte specific promoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-thefirst silencer sequence-polyA tail” and a second cassette comprises“neuron specific promoter-posttranscriptional regulatory element-thesecond silencer sequence-polyA tail”; wherein said first and secondsilencer sequences are both a miRNA designed to suppress SOD1 expression(miR SOD1); and, wherein said miRNA sequence comprises a 6 or 7nucleotides-long “seed” sequence as shown in SEQ ID No. 2 which is fullyhomologous to the human SOD1 mRNA transcript (NM_000454).
 7. Abicistronic expression vector for silencing a gene in astrocytes andneurons comprising two expression cassettes, wherein a first cassettecomprises “astrocyte specific promoter-posttranscriptional regulatoryelement-the first silencer sequence-polyA tail” and a second cassettecomprises “neuron specific promoter-posttranscriptional regulatoryelement-the second silencer sequence-polyA tail”; wherein said first andsecond silencer sequences are both a miRNA designed to suppress SOD1expression (miR SOD1); and, wherein said miR SOD1 mature sequence has atleast 50%, 60%, 80%, still more preferably 90% sequence identity withthe corresponding coding sequence set forth in SEQ ID No 1: 5′-ATT ACTTTC CTT CTG CTC GAA-3′ (SEQ ID, No 1).
 8. The bicistronic vectoraccording to claim 7, wherein said miR SOD1 mature sequence correspondsto the coding sequence: 5′-ATT ACT TTC CTT CTG CTC GAA-3′ (SEQ ID. No.1).
 9. The bicistronic vector according to claim 1, wherein saidastrocyte specific promoter is selected from the group comprising theGFAP promoter, the glutamine synthase promoter, and minimal GFAPpromoter gfaABC₁D.
 10. The bicistronic vector according to claim 1,wherein said neuron specific promoter is selected from the groupcomprising synapsin, cmv, platelet-derived growth factor B-chain(PDGF-β), the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), and human synapsin Ipromoter hSyn1.
 11. The bicistronic vector according to claim 1, whereinsaid vector is an Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vector.
 12. Thebicistronic vector according to claim 11, wherein said AAV vector is ofa serotype compatible with widespread transgene delivery to astrocytesand motoneurons, including serotype 9 or of serotype
 6. 13. A method oftreating of motoneuron diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), comprising injecting a bicistronic expression vector according toclaim 1 into a subject in need thereof.
 14. A pharmaceutical compositioncomprising a bicistronic AAV vector comprising two expression cassettescomprising a first and a second gene silencer sequence, wherein theexpression of said first silencer sequence within astrocytes isregulated by an astrocyte-specific promoter and the expression of saidsecond silencer sequence within neurons is regulated by aneuron-specific promoter and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and,wherein, when the pharmaceutical composition is injected into a subject,the bicistronic expression vector is able to target both the astrocytesand neurons brain cell populations with one injection.
 15. Thepharmaceutical composition according to claim 14 for use in thetreatment of motoneuron diseases, including amyotrophic lateralsclerosis (ALS).
 16. A method of using an AAV vector-based biologicaldelivery and expression system according to claim 1 for expressing afirst and a second silencer sequence in astrocytes and motoneurons.